Common Names
Nevada ephedra (1), Nevada jointfir (2).Taxonomic notes
Syn: Ephedra antisyphilitica Watson 1871, not Berlandier ex Meyer 1846; E. antisyphilitica Watson var. pedunculata Watson; E. nevadensis subvar. paucibracteata Stapf (1).Description
"Shrubs erect, 0.25-1.5 m. Bark gray, fissured. Branches alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 45°. Twigs pale green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, glaucous, with numerous longitudinal grooves; internodes 1-6 cm. Terminal buds conic, 1-3 mm, apex obtuse. Leaves opposite (rarely in whorls of 3), 2-4(-8) mm, connate to 1/2-3/4 their length; bases thickened, brown, completely deciduous; apex obtuse. Pollen cones 1-several at node, ellipsoid, 4-8 mm, sessile or on short peduncles with 2 pairs of basal bracts; bracts opposite, 5-9 pairs, yellow to light brown, obovate, 3-4 × 2-3 mm, membranous; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 3-5 mm, exserted to 1/4-1/2 their length, with 6-9 sessile to short-stalked (less than 1 mm) microsporangia. Seed cones 1-several at node, nearly globose, 5-11 mm, on long peduncles, with 1-2 pairs of basal bracts; bracts opposite, 3-5 pairs, nearly circular, 4-8 × 3-6 mm, herbaceous, with light brown to yellow-green center, occasionally pinkish tinged, margins entire. Seeds (1-)2, ellipsoid, 6-9 × 2-4 mm, brown, smooth. 2n = 14, 28. ... Coning late winter-midspring" (1).Range
US: Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada & Utah in the Mojave and Colorado deserts at 700-1900 m on dry, rocky slopes and hills, rarely in sandy flat areas (1, 2).Big Tree
Oldest
Dendrochronology
Ethnobotany
Observations
Remarks
Citations
(1) Dennis W. Stevenson at the Flora of North America online.(2) Jaeger 1969.
[Ephedra] [Ephedraceae] [home]
This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/~earlecj/ep/ep/nevadensis.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.com
Last modified on 27-Feb-1999